Gravity Falls: No Strings On Me
by TheDarkDoctorWatson
Summary: When a dream scares the living daylights out of Dipper, the twins go on a bit of a winter retreat to Gravity Falls, but danger is rising on two fronts and old friendships are becoming something new...
1. Intro & Chapter 1

**Intro**

Dipper clutched Wendy's lifeless body to himself, trying to find any sign of life in her face as the red skies thundered around them; her face was pale, eyes wide open, blood dripped from the edge of her mouth, her neck bruised and bent at a wrong angle, the three wounds in her torso had soaked her flannel shirt with blood. Dipper looked up, tears streaming down his face, to see a large laughing form rise from behind the cliff in front of him.

"You'll pay for this you son of a-!" Dipper shouted before the creature cut him off.

"Woah, easy on the language, Pine-tree!" Bill remarked, "We're only based on a kids' show."

Dipper set Wendy's body down in the grass, stood up and looked Bill dead in the eye.

"Bring her back right now." Dipper demanded quietly.

"Or what, kid?" Bill chuckled.

Dipper clenched his hands into fists and they ignited with a fire that Dipper was somehow familiar with.

"Your deal with me all those years ago left a bit more behind than a few injuries," Dipper announced as he stepped forward, "And now, I'm going to kill you with it."

Before Bill could react, Dipper poured on the speed and ran forward to the edge of the cliff - and kept running on the air between himself and Bill. With each step, the blue fire dancing along Dipper's knuckles grew brighter and hotter. Dipper used a sudden gust of air to help propel a jump and aim his punch straight at Bill's eye.

Just as Bill began to react and Dipper's burning fist connected with Bill's eye-

* * *

-Dipper woke up in a cold sweat and grabbed at the air in front of him looking for something to punch.

After he had calmed down and checked the time on his phone - it was nearly 3 in the morning, Dipper got out of bed and walked downstairs to the living room. It was January, he and Mabel wouldn't be heading back to Gravity Falls for another five to six months at best, and it would be their fifth trip back. Unfortunately, Dipper's dreams had started after that first summer and had gotten worse with each recurring visit. While they weren't every night, or even every month, they had fully started after Bill had left Dipper's body during the sock opera incident, but Dipper just shrugged them off in hopes they would go away after they had stopped Weirdmaggedon - they didn't.

Even though he still harbored feelings for her, Dipper and Wendy had never started a relationship, but they still remained best friends for the past five years through the summer visits and chatting over video-chat, texting and just about every other form of social media. He considered calling her a few times because of the dreams, but when they started involving her, something made him hesitate. The only person he could really tell was…

"Dipper?" Mabel's half-asleep voice whispered from the stairs as she came down to the living room.

"Did I wake you walking by your room?" Dipper asked in an apologetic tone as a reply.

"Nah, I was in the bathroom." Mabel answered as she walked through the semi-dark room and sat on the couch next to Dipper, "Did you have another dream?"

"Worse than last time." Dipper answered in reply before explaining everything he could remember.

"As I jumped on the gust of air," Dipper explained as he finished the dream, "I brought my fist down like this and-"

Before Dipper could finish mimicking his motions from the dream, his right fist ignited with small blue flames before sputtering out a moment later. Dipper and Mabel looked at each other with wide eyes, then back at Dipper's hand as he slowly retracted it and looked at it as if it was suddenly covered in snake scales.

"Call the Stans, I'll tell Mom & Dad as best I can," Dipper started as he looked back up at Mabel, "We're going to Gravity Falls a bit early this year."

* * *

(Search YouTube in new tab or in browser, one play through - end before "wind up" noise)

" [Music Box] Gravity Falls Theme "

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Dipper adjusted Wendy's old bomber hat on his head as he drove as carefully as he could through the falling snow and unplowed highways of Oregon. They had crossed the state border about a half hour ago, and it seemed like the weather had only gotten worse as they got closer to their destination. Even through the mild panic that had engulfed both twins, Mabel had managed to fall asleep in the passenger seat as Dipper drove.

It was nearly dinnertime when they passed the sign that read, "Welcome to Gravity Falls."

"Mabel, wake up." Dipper semi-whispered as he poked her shoulder through winter gloves.

"Huh, what?" Mabel groaned as her eyes blinked half-open.

"We just passed the town line." Dipper replied with a smile as he pointed to the Gravity Falls water tower covered with snow peeking over the tree line to their left.

Mabel perked up as she looked at the water tower, then looked down the road to see all the familiar buildings of Main Street coming into view. Dipper couldn't help but smile wider as all the amazing memories came flooding back; building the largest water balloon fight the town had ever seen, inadvertently bringing a video game to life - twice, having the Grunkles attempt to teach the twins how to drive, helping a merman back to the ocean, being best man at Soos's wedding, stopping a psychopathic man-child from taking over town with a giant robot version of himself, Wendy-

"DIPPER!" Mabel shouted pulling Dipper out of his thoughts in time to see that he should be braking for a stop light.

Dipper slammed the brakes in time to stop the car just short of the crosswalk allowing a very alarmed but grateful Lazy Susan to walk across the street. Feeling Mabel's eyes on him, Dipper took a deep breath and spoke to his sister without taking his eyes away from the windshield.

"It's not...the problem," Dipper started, "I got lost in thought."  
"What were you thinking about?" Mabel asked as the light changed and Dipper pulled through the intersection and continued through town towards the Mystery Shack.

"Just, all the great times we've had here." Dipper replied as he tried to hide his mild blush.

"Uh-huh." Mabel remarked with a smirk as she crossed her arms.

"Look, she said it wouldn't work out," Dipper started, knowing exactly where Mabel's train of thought was headed, "So I moved on. It's not like a TV show or somebody's fanfiction where things magically work out in the end… and you're still not buying this are you?"

Mabel shook her head "no" in response while retaining her smirk.

"Fine, believe what you like." Dipper replied as they turned down the narrow road leading to the Mystery Shack, "But I'm telling you, it's not gonna work."

As he parked the car not too far from the back porch and hit the release for the trunk, Dipper wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Mabel or himself with his claims a few seconds ago. Putting that particular thought to rest for the moment, Dipper got to work hefting his bags as well as Mabel's.

"You sure you don't need help with that, bud?" A familiar voice asked from the doorway.

Both Dipper and Mabel turned to see Wendy leaning against the doorframe as she wore Dipper's old pine-tree hat - now with a bit more wear along the brim, a fur-lined aviator jacket that had been passed down from her mom's side of the family, and her trademark mud-smeared hiking boots.

"Wendy!" Mabel practically cheered as she flew to the doorway to give the lumberjane a hug.

"How's it going, Unicorn-Slayer?" Wendy joked as she ushered Mabel inside before turning back to Dipper, "Dude, seriously, need a hand?"

"Nah, I got it." Dipper replied with a strained smile as he moved his body to successfully get all the luggage and himself in the door in one go.

"Dang, boot camp seems to agree with you." Wendy remarked as she shut the door to keep anymore heat from escaping the Shack.

"It was only a few months of training, and it was two years ago." Dipper replied with a sheepish grin as he began the trek up to the attic with all of the luggage still in hand.

"Well, did you start benchpressing a mountain every week since then?" Wendy asked as she followed him up the stairs in case he dropped anything.

"Not necessarily a mountain," Dipper replied honestly as he half-kicked in the door to his and Mabel's attic bedroom, "But I did continue working out pretty much every day since. Didn't I already tell you about this?"

"You did, I just never noticed you hulking out up close." Wendy replied as she turned so Dipper wouldn't see her mild blush.

"You don't know the half of hulking out." Dipper whispered to himself as he set all of the luggage down making sure his gloves stayed on.

"Dudes, what's this I hear about Dipper turning into _Iron Fist_?" Soos asked as he stepped into the twins' bedroom.

"Wait, what?" Wendy asked in alarm as she looked to Soos then Dipper for an explanation.

"Long story, one that Mabel apparently told Soos already." Dipper replied begrudgingly before allowing himself to be pulled into Soos's greeting hug.

"Dang dude, you been bulkin' up." Soos remarked as he pulled away and rubbed his shoulder.

"Uh, sorry man." Dipper replied as he looked at his hand and flexed it as if it was being disobedient.

"Well, I'll...uh...let you two dudes be…" Soos stated awkwardly before leaving the room and heading back downstairs.

"What was that about?" Dipper asked as looked to Wendy.

"Uh, nothing." Wendy replied as she continued to lose her battle with her blush, "Soos is just real busy getting ready for the summer - apparently this is supposed to be a really big year for tourists."

"Oh." Dipper remarked noticing that she was hiding something but respecting her privacy.

"So... _Iron Fist_?" Wendy asked in search of an explanation.

"Uh, I'll tell you later." Dipper answered without eye contact as he set to work unpacking his luggage, "I'm kinda tired from driving most of the way here after Mabel said we'd switch once we hit the state line."

"Yeah, sure, no problem." Wendy replied as she tried to hide her disappointment, "I'll...uh...I'll see you later, dude."

Dipper watched out of the corner of his eye as Wendy walked out the bedroom door. He wanted to tell her, but the timing didn't feel right. If whatever this was turned out to be dangerous, he didn't want her to be in harm's way; then again, that never stopped much of anything in Gravity Falls.

"I want to tell you, but I can't." Dipper said aloud to the empty room as he sat on his bare mattress and held his hands in gloved hands, "How can I tell you about this?"

Dipper pulled the glove off his left hand expecting it to be sputtering into small blue flames. Instead, Dipper felt spasms building up in his wrist and suddenly his hand was vibrating of its own accord at a hundred miles an hour with sparks of blue lightning arcing from the fingertips to the palm. Dipper grabbed his wrist with the other hand and the shaking seemed to stop with a final spark as Dipper put the glove back on. This had just gotten a lot more complicated, all the more reason not to tell Wendy, at least not yet.

* * *

Out in the woods, beside a statue of a familiar enemy, a figure in a large black cloak knelt in the falling snow.

"All these years, and they still don't know you're here." The figure said as it traced the brick pattern on the statue with a gloved finger, "A pity really, I enjoyed this form. But for now, this life will have to do."

"Oh what fun we'll have together, Pine-tree." The figure cackled as they stood and left leaving the statue of Bill Cipher to sit in the forest in the falling snow, a reminder of the dark days of that summer five years ago and to the dark days that were coming for Gravity Falls.

* * *

END CHAPTER ONE


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Dipper opened his eyes the next morning and propped himself up. Right now, the only ones that truly knew what was going on were the Stans, Mabel and himself. Soos sorta knew, but they didn't tell him everything since he was preoccupied with running the Shack. Ford had suggested that Dipper keep wearing the knit winter gloves as much as possible until they could determine how to help Dipper gain control.

As Dipper brushed his teeth, adjusting to doing the majority of his morning with gloves on, he took in his reflection. While he had definitely bulked up in the last few years - partially from army training and partially from work during the summers at the Shack, he had never considered himself muscular. Looking in the mirror now, however, it seemed he had gained muscle mass almost overnight. It wasn't until he looked at his own face that Dipper began to fear what he was looking at.

His eyes were much more rounded than normal, the whites were glowing blue and the pupils were stretched into tall black slits - much like a demonic Dorito that had terrorized the town five years ago. In the reflection, Dipper's smile seemed to be stretched a bit beyond the length of normal, blue flames occasionally sparked in his hair only to die out seconds later. His left arm was vibrating like last night with the blue electricity coming off of it, the right arm was engulfed in blue flames without burning.

" _Hello, Pine-tree_." The all-too-familiar voice that haunted Dipper's dreams seemed to echo from within the mirror itself.

Dipper reached a hand up to his face to feel that it was just his reflection that looked like this, his face and arms were still as normal as possible.

"Bill?" Dipper asked a bit timidly, afraid to know the answer.

" _Not exactly,_ " The Reflection admitted as it looked at its own hands, " _I'm not exactly sure what I am. All I know is, I'm in your head - been here since Triangle-Face took over your body for those few hours. I'm sorta a combination of you and him, only I become more like him the more you use...whatever it is he left behind. Powers, magic, meta-human abilities - whatever you wanna call it, it's me. As you lose control, I gain it._ "

"So if I kill myself, you should die." Dipper reasoned in a very serious tone as he looked at the reflection.

" _Only one way to find out, kid._ " The Reflection replied with an evil grin.

Dipper looked at his pile of clothes - he always kept some kind of pocket knife clipped to the hip of his jeans. Grabbing the knife and extending the blade, Dipper looked at the reflection.

" _Well?..._ " The Reflection edged on.

Dipper drove the knife into his chest - or he meant to anyway. The blade bent against his skin as if it was made of steel.

" _Funny thing about Bill's power_ ," The Reflection chuckled as Dipper dropped the now curved knife in shock, " _It's just as unpredictable as he is_."

"Is?!" Dipper asked in alarm, "You say that as if he's still alive!"

" _Oh, he's still alive._ " The Reflection grinned maniacally, " _The problem is, he's been possessing someone since his 'defeat,' and you'll have to figure out who that is before he's at full strength again - which should be, in about two weeks._ "

Dipper backed away from the mirror as The Reflection began to laugh evilly. Without even thinking to grab his things, Dipper threw open the bathroom door and ran out into the hall - right into Wendy.

"Uh, hey, Mabel sent me to check on you since you hadn't woken up yet." Wendy explained as she stepped back, "Dipper, why...um...why aren't you…uh…where's your shirt?"

Dipper didn't answer, instead he stepped back, looking at every picture frame in the hall. Anything that could give off a reflection echoed with The Reflection's laugh, but only Dipper seemed to be able to hear it. Ignoring Wendy, Dipper ran full force down the hall and down the stairs.

"Dude, where's the fire?!" Wendy yelled after him as she did her best to keep up, "Dipper, what is going on?"

Dipper grabbed his boots and practically threw them over his feet before running out into the snow in only a pair of sweatpants. He kept running, deeper into the woods, remembering the path from long ago. Dipper practically slid to a stop before gingerly stepping towards the now snow covered and somewhat cracked stone statue of Bill. A note was attached to the hand, as if the statue itself was holding it.

" _Oh, Gravity Falls, it is good to be back. -B_ " The note read.

Wendy had just caught up to Dipper as he took the note off the statue. He handed it to her and as they looked at the statue together, it suddenly crumbled apart. Dipper looked at Wendy before looking back to the Shack and then towards town.

"We gotta warn the town." Wendy breathed, still out of breath from the run.

"We can't." Dipper replied, "They still have their whole 'Nevermind-All-That' mentality as if none of it ever happened. They'll never believe us anyway."

"Then let's tell the others at the Shack." Wendy suggested.

"They're already worried about something else." Dipper replied solemnly.

"You?" Wendy asked.

Dipper looked at Wendy with sadness in his eyes.

"Dipper, I don't know what's going on with you," Wendy started with bitterness in her voice, "But we've always told each other everything, ever since that first summer. I respect that it's scaring you, but it kinda hurts when everyone knows but me."

Dipper seemed to gain a sudden interest in his boots as he felt the wind blow against his back.

"Whatever man, don't tell me." Wendy huffed, "Just know I'm here for you when you're ready."

Dipper felt a tug in the back of his mind as he watched Wendy walk back to the Shack. Everything around him seemed to slow to a halt. Dipper looked down and saw arcs of blue lightning sparking off his body in slow motion. Looking back up, Dipper walked up to where Wendy stood in a single frame of time.

"I want to tell you," Dipper practically shouted, hearing his voice echo oddly through the woods, "Believe me, I wish I could tell you everything. I don't know what's happening, and I wish I could figure it out but I don't want you in danger. I can't lose you, I can't let that dream come to pass. I know what you said before, but… I can't lose you, Wendy."

Dipper looked up at Wendy, still frozen in place, reached out to touch her arm but pulled back. Looking to Gravity Falls, Dipper saw something that scared him to the core.

A figure stood in the road wearing a black cloak with a yellow Cipher's Wheel stitched into the chest, with the hood of the cloak pulled over the face. The figure turned around, despite time seemingly frozen, and took off into town with lightning similar to Dipper's except that the newcomer's energy was yellow. Dipper looked at Wendy, then back to the road and took off after the figure.

Behind Dipper, Wendy had a vague feeling that someone had been standing next to her for a split second, but when she turned she saw nobody there - including Dipper who had just been standing not too far behind her a minute ago.

"I wish you would tell me what's happening…" Wendy whispered as she looked down the road and shoved Bill's note in her back pocket, "Just let me in, Dipper."

A half mile down the road, in Gravity Falls, people were going about their day. It was a snow day, so kids were playing in the snow covered yards, the sidewalk, even in the street if traffic wasn't going by. Businesses were closed, everything was peaceful - until the wind seemed to pick up in one direction going down several streets every few seconds.

Dipper ran as hard as he could, trying to catch the cloaked figure - who seemed to be running very well despite the baggy cloak flying just about everywhere except off their face. Out of nowhere, the cloaked figure stopped turned around, ignited their right fist with yellow fire similar to Dipper's and aimed a punch right Dipper's face as he tried to stop. Swerving out of the way, Dipper placed a foot on a nearby wall and used his momentum to pull a backflip over the figure, ignite his own fist in blue fire and swing a punch at the cloaked figure. Dodging the punch, the cloaked figure threw another at Dipper, who in turn dodged and through another of his own punches. The cloaked figure then took off to another street corner on the other side of town and the two began their fight anew.

After leading the fight out onto Scuttlebutt Island - surprising Dipper that he could run fast enough to run on water, the cloaked figure turned around to Dipper as the two of them stood a few feet apart.

"You can run, you can fight, what else can you do?" The figure called out in a raspy voice.

"I'd rather not find out." Dipper answered back honestly as he extinguished the flames on in his fists.

"Ya' know, he was right about you." The figure shouted, "You're too clever for your own good."

"Who was right about me?" Dipper asked cautiously.

"Who do you think, Pine-tree?" The figure answered before grinning about twice as wide as a normal person should.

"Are you Bill?" Dipper asked in alarm.

The figure was silent as they kept grinning.

"ARE YOU BILL?!" Dipper asked.

"See ya' soon, kid." The figure called out, "You've got a big week coming up."

The figure then sped off trailing yellow lightning behind as he headed back to town. Dipper tried to keep his eyes on the figure, but couldn't pinpoint where they went.

Just as he moved to run after the figure, what felt like physical hands inside his head wrapped around his mind. Screaming in pain, Dipper doubled over grabbing at his head. Stabling himself on his knees and hands, he rose back up still kneeling in the snow. When his eyes opened, the whites glowed blue and the pupils had been extended into black slits. His hair ignited with blue flames, and his smile widened. With a snap of his fingers, a Mystery Shack t-shirt appeared on his torso and his flannel jacket - which had been hanging in the closet in the attic - appeared in his hands.

"Thanks for the wheel, kid." An amalgam of Dipper and Bill's voices spoke as the jacket was put on, "Let's see what you can really do."

The Reflection sped Dipper's body over the lake and back into Gravity Falls, not really sure where to go but looking for something to test Dipper's abilities on.

* * *

Mabel had just walked out of the grocery store with a basket full of dinner for everyone at the Shack and was about to get unlock the car when she saw two guys walking towards her. They kept their heads low and their hoods up over their heads, and they each had something threatening to poke through the pockets in their jackets.

" _Ok, not good_ ," Mabel thought to herself, " _Just get the stuff in the car, don't make eye contact._ "

"Hey pretty lady, how about a ride?" One of the men asked as he brandished a knife.

" _Or make fist to face contact like Stan taught you, that works too._ " Mabel thought as she set the basket of groceries on top of the car.

As she turned around, the other man pinned her arms to the car with his. Before Mabel could react, a figure with blue flames for hair, blue eyes with black slit pupils and a very familiar jacket sped out of nowhere with blue lightning sparking off of them.

"Dipper?" Mabel asked in disbelief as the two men turned around.

"Hey man," The man with the knife began, "We know this is Gravity Falls, crap gets weird, but get lost."

"You're not bright in the whole 'weird-and-supernatural' department, are you?" The figure asked in a 50/50 of Dipper's voice and someone that Mabel had prayed she'd never hear from again.

Before anyone could react, the figure ignited their left fist with blue fire and shot a fireball through the man with the knife - not at him, _through_ him. The man dropped to his knees, then fell over, eyes wide open. The other man let go of Mabel and moved to pull a weapon, but the figure raised his right hand and sprayed blue lightning through the man in the air and into a nearby light pole head first.

"See ya' around, Shooting-Star." The figure said in that terrifying split voice before igniting the other hand in flames, looking to the sky and literally flying off.

Mabel watched the figure's path, got in the car and began following it as best she could. She didn't care where it was going, she had to get her brother back. He had to know what Wendy had told Mabel before the twins had left last summer.

* * *

END CHAPTER TWO


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Dipper woke up expecting everything to be another bad dream. Instead, everything was dark until a pair of headlights lit up the world and then drove by. Pulling himself up, Dipper found he was half buried in the snow near the tree line not too far from the road leading out from Gravity Falls with a pretty nasty sprain in his left ankle.

As Dipper pulled out his gloves and put them back on, zipped up the flannel jacket and limped onto the side of the road, a pickup truck sped by, then braked before backing up and stopping in front of him.

"Dipper?!" Wendy asked as she stepped out of the driver's side of the truck.

"Yeah, it's me." Dipper answered as he limped over to the passenger door.

"Seriously, Dude?!" Wendy asked indignantly, "Mabel sends everyone out looking for you with no explanation, I find you limping out of a ditch by the road at 1 in the morning and you're still not gonna tell me what the heck is going on?!"

Dipper silently opened the door, pulled himself into the truck, shut the door and strapped his seat belt in response.

"Fine, we'll just act like you're not keeping secrets from me." Wendy scoffed as she got back in the truck, handed Dipper a beanie, pulled a U-turn, and drove back to the Shack.

The ride back was mostly quiet, neither of them attempted to turn on the radio or even put in a CD, just silence thick enough to cut with a knife.

"I'm sorry." Dipper spoke quietly as they came upon Main Street, "It's not your fault that I'm keeping this from you."

Wendy practically threw the truck into a parking space along the sidewalk, slammed the gear-shift into park, shut off the engine and whipped her head to Dipper.

"Dude, I'm gonna say this once and only once so you better be paying attention," Wendy started in a tone that she rarely used - a tone of hurt and anger, "I don't care who's fault it is that you haven't told me what's going on, I honestly don't even care that you told almost everyone at the Shack except me, what hurts is the fact that you won't tell me. We have kept _nothing_ from each other since that first summer. I told you when I got my first job, every time I got a new boyfriend, got accepted to online college. You told me about your relationship - both the beginning and end of it, when you got a job, when you built a portable generator out of scraps in the garage. But then around 2 years ago, about the time you went to boot camp, you started hiding something. I figured it was just part of the change from training, so I let it go. When you came back… I thought I would finally figure out what's been going on with you, but it only got worse. I have lost too many people in my life, and you are too important to me to lose over something like this - but I will not deal with bullcrap secret keeping when I know it's having an impact on you like it is. Now either you let me in on what's going on with you right here and right now, or you're walking home."

The truck was silent for a solid minute before Dipper took a breath.

"I can't." Dipper whispered as a tear began to roll down his face, "I don't want you getting involved in this...I don't wanna lose you to-"

Dipper stopped himself before giving up too much information, if he could keep Wendy as far away from his powers as much as possible, maybe her death in the dream wouldn't become reality.

Wendy looked away from Dipper, trying to control the swirl of emotions that was storming behind her face.

"Mabel never told you, did she?" Wendy asked quietly.

"Told me what?" Dipper asked cautiously as he looked over to her side of the truck.

"Over the course of my life," Wendy began after taking a deep breath, "I've been dating different guys trying to find _the one_ \- not the cliche one guy meant for me per say, but the one guy that would protect me no matter what, be there for me in a way nobody else could, and help me through things in ways no one else ever could. Last summer, I realized that the guys I was dating came nowhere close to...someone else I knew. Someone wise beyond his years, someone more concerned with protecting others before himself, someone who-"

"Shh." Dipper cut her off quickly as he looked out the windshield.

"No, you don't get to shush me, I am in the middle of pouring my heart out-" Wendy started before getting cut off again.

"Wendy, please." Dipper asked as he put a gloved hand over her mouth and pointed with the other at the figure in the street.

The cloaked figure was back, standing in the middle of the street staring at the truck and its passengers.

"Stay in the truck." Dipper ordered firmly as he opened his door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"Who are you?!" Dipper called out, "Why are you after me?!"

"You really don't get it, do you?!" The figure yelled back, "I'm not after you, I'm after what's inside you."

"What does he mean, 'what's inside you?'" Wendy asked as she shut the driver's door.

"I said to stay in the truck!" Dipper spat with fury as he wheeled around to look at Wendy.

"Corduroy?" The figure called, "How, ya' doin' Red?"

"Dipper, who is this guy?" Wendy asked as Dipper tried to get her to go back in the truck.

"Don't worry about it." Dipper tried to say as Wendy turned back to him.

"Is this what's been going on with you?" Wendy asked.

"More like a side-effect." Dipper answered as best he could, "Please, just get in the truck."

Before Wendy could respond, the figure ignited his fists with yellow fire and sped down the street towards the truck trailing yellow lightning.

As Wendy looked at the figure, Dipper felt the now familiar pull in the back of his mind as time slowed around him. He grabbed Wendy, put her arms around his shoulders for support, then took off down the street, turned down an alley and doubled back towards the Shack stopping at the porch, setting Wendy down and slowing back down to normal speed.

Wendy caught her breath as she looked around then looked up at Dipper.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want you to find out like this." Dipper apologized as he heard the cloaked figure running through the trees toward the Shack.

Igniting his right fist in the familiar blue flames, Dipper turned around and punched for all his worth into the cloaked figure's chest. The figure went sailing back into the treeline taking down a few trunks with their fall. Wendy jumped to her feet as Dipper turned back to her and ignited his other fist.

"I'm so...sorry." Dipper apologized straining to keep his voice normal but losing the battle to the weird split of his voice and The Reflection's.

Dipper turned back just as his eyes went blue, his smile went wide and his hair ignited blue.

"Well, well, well, well, well, well, well." The split voice called out once again from Dipper's body as The Reflection stepped toward the cloaked figure, "Who do we have here? Definitely not Triangle-Face, at least not at the moment. Looks like it's just his new puppet."

"Don't be so sure." Bill's voice suddenly shouted from the cloaked figure as they pulled themselves out of the crater they had formed.

Wendy jumped back in shock as she looked from whatever was in Dipper to the cloaked figure.

"Now who exactly are you?" Bill shouted as he ignited the cloaked figure's hands in yellow fire similar to Dipper's.

"I'm a remnant of what you left behind." The Reflection answered as he stepped forward a bit more, "Your power, but with Pine-Tree's brains. Now you gotta admit, that's a bit much for even you to take on."

"Oh, I don't know, let's find out." Bill suggested before launching the cloaked figure at Dipper at the speed of sound.

The Reflection threw Dipper's outstretched hands out to the side as jets of blue fire erupted from the palms. Where the blue flames landed, they began to form a wall of blue fire that fully lit up the moonlit night. Bill slowed the cloaked figure's run just in time to stop within inches of the line of fire while throwing a few sparks of yellow energy into the air. Tilting the figure's head to look at the fire then at Dipper from under the cloak's hood, Bill reached out the figure's hand and physically gripped the fire. At Bill's touch, the fire turned to ice, starting at Bill's hand and phasing down the entire line of flames. Once the entire line was ice, Bill smashed the figure's forearm down into the ice and the entire line shattered from the point of impact.

"You may have _some_ of my powers," Bill announced as he stepped forward crunching ice under the figure's boots, "But you will _never_ have _all_ my powers."

As Bill stepped forward with a hand reached out, something changed in The Reflection's face. After a few blinks, Dipper's eyes went back to normal as did his smile.

"You take...one more step…towards her," Dipper growled stepping in front of Wendy as he fought for control, the strain evident with his face vibrating and constantly morphing between his and The Reflection's, "I don't care...how powerful you are...I will wipe you from existence."

Bill stepped back, shocked to see the level of strength that Dipper was exerting.

"Well, I'm actually impressed, Pine-Tree." Bill remarked, "But you can't expect to-"

Bill was cut off by Dipper throwing an uppercut into the figure's jaw launching both the figure and Dipper into the air.

"WHAT IS GOING ON OUT HERE?!" Ford shouted as he, Mabel and Soos stepped out onto the porch.

Wendy could only point to the night sky as a response. The others looked up to see two figures have enveloped in different color flames and lightning as they punched each other through the air and flew back to do it again. In the middle of the fight, Dipper got his hand on the scruff of the figure's cloak and pulled them to be within spitting distance of himself.

"IF YOU COME NEAR ANYONE I CALL FAMILY AGAIN," Dipper shouted as he continued to fight for control, "RUNNING TO ANOTHER DIMENSION WON'T NEARLY BE ENOUGH TO SAVE YOU!"

Dipper then threw the cloaked figure through the sky with the strength of a monster, making sure he still landed in town, but far enough away that the figure wouldn't be back to harass Dipper or anyone else twice on the same day for awhile. Allowing himself to hover back to the ground, Dipper nearly landed in front of the Shack, but his hands and hair were still lit up with blue flames, and it was getting harder to keep The Reflection at bay.

"What's happening?!" Mabel asked as the air around them seemed to be swirling towards Dipper who was shutting his eyes due to the strain for control.

"Nothing good," Ford answered honestly, "If he can't get control of his energy, he could go critical - or worse - whatever's inside him could take control permanently."

"HELP….ME!" Dipper shouted over the now roaring wind and crack of the blue lightning that was now sparking around him as he grabbed at his head with flaming hands.

"Dipper, you've gotta fight it!" Ford yelled.

"You've got this Dipper!" Mabel tried yelling in encouragement.

"Dipper, don't go Super-Saiyan, it's not worth it." Soos yelled, attempting to bring levity to the situation.

As everyone grabbed the supporting columns on the porch to stay grounded, Wendy did something that surprised even herself. She walked straight up to Dipper - through the wind, lightning and fire - got as close to his face as she could and whispered one word, one name: "Mason."

Dipper's eyes flew open, the whites were normal as well as his chocolate brown irises. He looked at Wendy as if he hadn't seen her in centuries, like she was the last thing he would ever see. Soon, the air slowed to a stop, Dipper touched back down slowly, the fire in his hair and on his hands sputtered out. Reaching out, Dipper attempted to hug Wendy, but instead fell into her as he passed out.

"I'm not losing you, and you're not losing me." Wendy whispered as she hefted his right arm over her shoulders and Ford hefted the left arm, "I don't care if you have demonic powers or not, we're not losing each other."

They took Dipper inside, down to Ford's bunker - which was rebuilt using the sections of the portal as structural support instead of a dimensional gateway. The last thing Dipper felt before going fully unconscious was Wendy's hand in his and immense guilt for nearly destroying the Shack.

* * *

END CHAPTER THREE


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

They brought Dipper down into the lab - which had been built out of Ford's former secret study, laid him out on a gurney that Ford had hoped would never have to be used, and Ford set up a series of monitors to keep track of Dipper's vitals.

"What's happening?" Wendy asked as Ford checked Dipper's pupils and blood pressure.

"Dipper's body is going into shock." Ford responded, "He's gonna be fine but we have to keep an eye on him, these next few hours are crucial. He's gonna be out of it for awhile, there's no telling when he'll regain consciousness."

Everyone was quiet as Ford continued preliminary tests of Dipper's system.

"Wendy," Ford began as he took a second to look at her, "I'm sorry we didn't tell you, Dipper didn't want-"

"Save it." Wendy cut him off calmly, "Just please do what you can, I need to kick his butt for all this."

Ford smirked at Wendy's sense of humor as he continued checking on Dipper.

"The good news is," Ford started, "Dipper's mind is definitely active. Look at his eyelids, rapid eye movement. Something is definitely going on up there while his body rests and cools down. It's our job to make sure his body continues to rest so we can help him once he wakes up."

Wendy pulled up a chair knowing that it was gonna be a long few hours as Ford did his best to keep Dipper resting. The others said they would come down every once in awhile with food for everyone as they kept the Shack and appearances up and running before they went upstairs. What they didn't know, was that more than just some sporadic thought was happening in Dipper's head...

* * *

Dipper had learned a long time ago how to tell the difference between a dream and reality. A dream in Dipper's head usually had everything in muted colors - not necessarily black and white, but not as vibrant as reality. On top of the muted color palette, Dipper's dreams often had some sort of uber crazy twist or monster before Dipper would fully recognize that he was dreaming and then be able to affect his dreams like Bill affected reality - changing gravity, creating structures, exhibiting paranormal powers at will.

This was different. In the dream, the sky was gray - no clouds, just gray, and Dipper found himself standing in a wheat field with what looked like a broken down version of Ford's portal standing upright in the distance, a rundown but still standing version of the Pines' family home back in Piedmont, and something that Dipper didn't recognize - a very busted up 1980 something, cherry red Ford Bronco truck.

"Don't bother trying to figure that one out," A familiar voice suggested causing Dipper to turn to them, "Because I'm part Bill, I can see and even tap into alternate realities - trust me, you don't wanna know what happened there."

"So this is your head, not mine?" Dipper asked as he looked to the sky.

"Sorta." The Reflection in his true form - a humanoid being of blue energy with a brick pattern and one eye much like Bill, but with a glowing version of Dipper's pine-tree hat where the Dipper's stovepipe hat would be - responded in purely Bill's voice but without Bill's intense energy, "We already knew that your mind was merging with my power. What we didn't count on - which we should've, looking at it now - was your memories merging with me. Because they're merging with me, your memories from this reality, as well as others are starting to be dropped in here. And, as near as I can tell, it's affecting every Dipper that it pulls a memory from."

"How's it affecting them?" Dipper asked with concern for the new problem before realizing something, "And why are you so helpful all of a sudden?"

The Reflection stopped, stood up straight and crossed his arms.

"I don't _have_ to help you figure this out," The Reflection started as his voice rose, "I didn't _have_ to tell you that alternate Dippers across the cosmos, and I sure as heck don't have to give you all this time to learn how to control me or your powers!"

"Hang on, you said you're part of Bill…" Dipper remembered, feeling like he was on to something.

"Eh, I'm more like-" The Reflection started before getting cut off.

"His son?" Dipper asked in horror.

"Ew, gross, no." The Reflection answered with disgust in his voice, "No, I'm more like his estranged brother, a lot like a certain six-fingered anomaly and a man with a penchant for all things illegal and/or flammable that we both know."

"So if you're his brother, you're not as powerful." Dipper reasoned.

"I may not be as powerful as he is with his abilities," The Reflection replied, "But that doesn't mean I don't have a few tricks of my own."

Dipper began thinking through all kinds of scenarios of how he could get back to full control and still retain his powers to defeat Bill, but they all involved some sort of sacrifice that Dipper just couldn't accept - mostly because they involved someone else or memories of someone else, whether it was Mabel, Wendy, the Stans. No, Dipper wasn't losing anyone before himself.

"You can't do it, kid." The Reflection remarked with a bit of maniacal pride in his voice, "You can't take me down without-"

The Reflection was cut off by Dipper whipping a hand around The Reflection's neck in a death grip. Dipper lifted his face to look at The Reflection dead in the eye and showed that his own eyes were glowing blue with no pupils, just simply glowing blue with power and rage.

"I would rather lose myself than lose anyone else to you or Bill or anyone who thinks they can mess with my family." Dipper growled as he gripped The Reflection's neck in a death vice.

As Dipper squeezed, The Reflection's brick pattern skin seemed to crack and release energy into Dipper like vapors from a broken light.

"Don't you want to know what's coming?" The Reflection asked through strain, "What the other realities look like?"

Dipper looked to the wrecked Bronco, looked to the rundown version of the Pines' house, then back at The Reflection.

"No, I don't." Dipper answered as he began to squeeze his fist tighter, "You know what they say, 'Ignorance is bliss.'"

The Reflection screamed out in Bill's voice as Dipper tightened his fist around and then through The Reflection's throat. The Reflection shattered into shards of energy which then went into Dipper's body as the dream around him started going dark and falling apart.

* * *

Dipper woke up - or at least, he thought he did. He was laying in the study/lab with Wendy asleep beside his gurney and Ford asleep while Dipper's vitals were on several screens. What was off, was the color of everything - it was all muted, almost like sepia tone but a bit brighter.

Standing up, Dipper looked around and noticed a light coming from the open elevator. Stepping towards it, Dipper felt the elevator start moving up and then open the vending machine door into the gift shop. Dipper stepped into the gift shop and then felt someone watching him.

"Pinetree?!" A voice all-too-familiar with evil asked in shock, "Is that you?!"

Dipper turned to the voice to Bill himself - no cloaked figure, no Weirdmageddon minions, just the Demon Dorito in all his infamy - floating through the Shack as if he owned it.

"Yeah, it is." Dipper replied as calmly as he could, "You sound surprised."

"Honestly, I thought Blue would've taken you out by now," Bill answered honestly, "Then I could take him out and get powerful enough to get out of A-Certain-Someone's head."

"'A-Certain-Someone', huh?" Dipper asked, "Do I know this 'certain-someone'?"

"Ah-ah-ah, Pinetree," Bill said as he waved a finger, "You ain't gettin' no spoilers outta me. You'll just have to wait to see what I have planned."

"Eh, that's alright." Dipper replied, surprised at his calm and almost humorous attitude, "My Reflection - or Blue, as you called him - probably told me enough, and I'm a smart guy, I'll figure out. I did every other time."

Bill moved back, Dipper couldn't tell if it was sudden fear or trying to get a better handle on the situation.

"Are you-," Bill started as he pointed his cane at Dipper almost defensively, "Are you trying to get in my head?"

"Oh please, that is one place I do _not_ want to go." Dipper replied using his hands to emphasize his words, "I'm just trying to stall for time."

"Why?" Bill asked, the fear in his voice betraying his look of confidence.

"Blue left a gift behind," Dipper said as he flexed his hand and it lit with blue fire, "The longer you're in my head, the more information you leave behind. Normally this would be a problem, but as long as I have these powers, I can actually decipher and use this information."

"No, no way, Pinetree." Bill chuckled, "You're bluffing for sure."

"Tset eht ot taht tup tnaw uoy od?" Dipper asked in Bill's language of power.

"No… NO!" Bill screamed in horror as he snapped his fingers and portaled out of Dipper's mind.

Dipper did his best to retain everything Bill and Blue and said, everything they had alluded to, then allowed himself to fall into the darkness that had begun to splinter into the dreamscape.

* * *

Dipper woke up quietly - which was welcome after waking from a dream with Bill in it. He tried to sit up in the gurney which creaked, waking Wendy from her nap in the chair and getting Ford's attention at the desk.

"Dipper, welcome back." Ford said as he helped him up, "Take it easy, your body's been under a lot of stress the past few days."

"How long was I out?" Dipper asked as he took sensors off his forehead and chest.

"Two days." Ford replied as he helped take an IV out of Dipper's arm and bandage it up, "It's New Year's Eve, Mabel's out getting stuff together for a party now. I'll let you two talk, I'm gonna go tell Stan to let Mabel know you're awake."

Dipper stood from the gurney as he and Wendy watched Ford head into the elevator and let the doors close.

"Dipper, please just tell me," Wendy practically whispered as she turned to him, "What is going on with you-?"

Before she could finish her question, Dipper had enveloped her in a hug. Not a bearhug, not the normal hugs they had shared in summers past, but a hug that conveyed everything he couldn't say with words.

"I'm sorry." Dipper spoke around the catch in his throat as he tried not to tear up, "I should've told you from the beginning, but it was all too complicated and half it didn't even seem real. I thought if I kept you from it you'd be safe, but then things got out of control and I had to come to the Grunkles for help. I never wanted you to be lose your trust in me, I'm sorry."

Wendy wrapped her arms around Dipper, not caring that he still hadn't put a shirt on, she needed him to know.

"I'll never lose my trust in you." Wendy replied quietly, "I don't care how safe you think I need to be, I faced Weirdmageddon with you - and on my own for awhile - I can take whatever this or any world has to throw at me."

"Are you sure?" Dipper asked as he pulled back to look in her eyes, "Because this isn't gonna be easy to tell you."

"Neither was your real name," Wendy reminded him in reply, "And you got through that last year fairly well. I think I can take it."

Dipper smirked as he gestured for her to sit back down and took a seat himself on the gurney. He then told her the whole story - how the dreams had started after Bill inhabited his body, how they got worse and more frequent as the years went on, he even told her about the dreams involving her, and about the powers that had begun to sprout due to what Bill had left behind, finishing with everything that had happened while the Reflection had been in Dipper's head and the conversation he had with the Reflection and then Bill.

"And that is everything in its entirety." Dipper said sheepishly, "I know I should've told you, but I didn't want part of our friendship to constantly be worrying about me."

"I always worry about you Dipper." Wendy breathed as she looked up at him.

Dipper looked at Wendy in a semi-new light; a light he had seen her in before, but now it seemed something new was added - a trust that went beyond anything he had with anyone else except maybe Mabel, a bond that had been forged through one of the strongest fires and honed with the sharpest edge. This was something Dipper hadn't thought would come of telling Wendy the truth, this was unexpected - but definitely not unwelcome.

Dipper moved to Wendy just as she stood up from her chair and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. He looked into her eyes as she looked into his, then slowly leaned in, closed his eyes and pressed his lips into hers. She wrapped one arm around his midsection, the other around his shoulders and returned the kiss. He moved his arms so that one was on her back and the other was at the base of her neck.

Time stopped around them, the world disappeared - it didn't matter that they were in a somewhat oppressive space several feet underground, it didn't matter that one sensor was still attached to Dipper's back showing just how fast his heart rate was, and it didn't matter just how much time had passed before Wendy and Dipper both acknowledged the truths they had both been harboring. All that mattered now, was them, this moment and everything that would come of it.

Before they could continue however, the elevator gave it's tell-tale ding as the arrow moved to point to floor two. Dipper pulled away, knowing that Wendy could see his look of "we'll talk about this later" then pulled off the sensor on his back and put on a Mystery Shack shirt that had been left for him.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Mabel burst into the room and did her best not to tackle Dipper into the wall with her hug as Ford followed.

"Please, for the love of all that is sweet and sugary, stop nearly dying or causing the end of the world, Bro-bro." Mabel said as she held onto Dipper.

"Mabes, please, I'm alright." Dipper chuckled as he eventually got her off of him, "I'm actually glad you're here, I need to talk to you and the Grunkles."

Dipper looked to the elevator, then to Mabel and Ford.

"Where's Stan?" Dipper asked Ford.

* * *

In the woods, at the very spot that Mabel was tricked into handing over the Rift five years ago, the cloaked figure carved Bill's likeness into a tree with a wicked looking knife - the blade was steel, about three inches long, and the grip was shaped like brass knuckles.

"You know they'll destroy you for this right?" A gruff voice asked under the hood of the cloak.

"I'd like to see them try," Bill answered with a smile from the same mouth, "Now get to work on the full circle, Stanley, I need more power if I'm gonna take down Pinetree."

* * *

END CHAPTER FOUR


End file.
